Brendon McCullum says England should accept Ashes ‘backlash’

McCullum’s contract with England ended in 2016. It will expire at the end of 2027. He said he had not considered the possibility of an extension, so as it stands, his final Test series will be the Ashes next summer.

At that point, England are unbeaten for almost a decade and have not gone on a five-match winning streak since 2018.

And McCullum, 44, who has played 101 Tests for New Zealand, said his team should use their latest Ashes defeat as a “lesson” for future Tests.

“The lessons we learned in Australia should help encourage us going forward, otherwise this would have been a blow and incredibly disappointing,” he said.

“If we can do well what we have learned and what we have been through, it will make us a good side, it will still hurt, it will make us a better side.”

Players who were dropped under McCullum’s regime after the Ashes criticized England’s set-up. Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow have added their voices to the frustration expressed by experts and fans alike.

In response to some of the Ashes’ shortcomings, England have added more coaches to their backroom staff, imposed a midnight curfew on players and staff, and will soon add a full-time chef.

“As a person, I’m always very specific about how I want to operate. It’s not going to be everybody’s cup of tea,” McCullum said. “Not everyone likes you all the time, that’s okay.

“I’m a firm believer in the way we try to shape and build teams. I’m not rigid about development, improvement and improvement.

“It was a time of reflection, things we needed to change and things changed. We made some adjustments and now the key from a cricketing point of view is to win in those moments when the game is on the line.”